Transforming a Bad Day

How do you change things around when you’re having a bad day? Scientists, psychologists, as well as alternative thinkers are demonstrating over and over again the perils of staying in a bad mood (elevated cortisol, elevated blood pressure, extra work required by the heart and nervous system) and the importance of what the Institute of HeartMath calls “staying in coherence”.
Two days ago all kinds of things were going on and I felt funky and gunky. I decided to just leave the office (thankfully I didn’t have any appointments or sessions) and I went home and told myself, “Debra, you know how to pull yourself out of this”. It worked great, and I ended up having an amazing day, so I wanted to share some of these ideas with you.
1) Breathe. Go somewhere (your car or bathroom) and take some really deep breaths. Focus on your heart and feel as though the breath is coming from your heart. After 10 deep breaths, you’ll be amazed how much better you feel.
2) Wring your Hands. This sounds a little crazy, but it works. If you’re upset, especially if you’re angry, really wring your hands! This is based on Chinese medicine – the energy meridians all meet in the hands so wringing them really moves the energy. This is the one that really worked for me the other day.
3) Have a good cry! A good cry will release bottled up emotions. (Just don’t do it in the middle of an important meeting!).
4) Blast those tunes. Find your best pump up music and blast it in the car. Dance or sing at the top of your lungs. Moving your body moves your energy.
5) Think of something that makes you happy, like your children, your dog, your kitty or the last incredible vacation you took. Close your eyes and get that vision and think about it.
6) Be thankful that it’s not worse. Most of what throws me off during the day is really not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. Isn’t it true that many people in the world have it much worse off than you? As quickly as possible, go into gratitude for everything wonderful in your life.
Here’s some good things to do to prevent bad days from happening in the first place:
1) Get enough sleep. So many studies out there are showing what a huge difference sleep makes for us, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. How many hours do you need? 8? 7? 6? You know what your number is, so make the decision to make that happen.
2) Take a little time to take care of you. Relax a little. Make yourself a hot bubble bath and add a little aromatherapy with the calming scent of lavender. Or come up with some other simple thing that feels delicious to you.
3) As Scarlett O’Hara would say, “Tomorrow is another day”. As you go to sleep, remind yourself of that, and set your intentions for a wonderful day tomorrow.
4) Wake up on the right side of the bed. Before you get up and hit the shower, close your eyes and repeat “this is going to be a good day” three times. The key is believing it when you say it!
Print this list and keep it with you in a place where it will be available to you when you are starting to feel yourself slide.
Do you have things you do to help you make a shift when you’re having a bad day? I’d love to hear from you.

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